Trade unions Frente Comum, Federação Sindical da Administração Pública (FESAP) and Frente Sindical, are gearing up for a meeting with the secretary of state for administration and public employment on Wednesday.

They want the socialist government ruled by Antonio Costa to put an end to austerity in the civil service in order to enable workers to recover purchasing power.

Ana Avoila, from the Frente Comum de Sindicatos da Administração Pública (CGTP) told Lusa that she hoped the state budget for 2019 would “achieve some fairness for public administration employees, whose rights have been sacrificed in the past years.”

Portugal is aiming for 2.3% growth next year and a deficit of 0.2% of GDP, as well as reducing public debt to 118.4%.

Portugal’s Socialist government, which is backed by the Left Bloc and Communist party in parliament, has already reversed many austerity measures imposed by the former centre-right government under an international bailout in 2011-2014.